


Emma Swan's 4th Birthday

by loisselina (LoisSelina)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Daddy Charming, Daddy charming au, Gen, Parent Prince Charming | David Nolan, foster parent David Nolan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 20:05:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoisSelina/pseuds/loisselina
Summary: Foster father David Nolan celebrates his foster daughter's fourth birthday and gets some help from his neighbour, Mary.





	Emma Swan's 4th Birthday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justanoutlaw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/gifts).



> A little fic to celebrate Emma's birthday

David couldn’t help but wonder who decided that children’s toys should be so hard to put together. Perhaps it was because he had been putting them all together on his own but truth be told he wouldn’t have it another way. 

He had thought that he wouldn’t be able to go on without his wife, Kathryn, when she bailed within the first couple of months of fostering Emma, he had fought his hardest to keep Emma with him, using every law he knew, it was lucky he was a lawyer, and he had just about won. Now it was just him and Emma against the world. He had been fostering her for eight months now, and he couldn’t image his life without her. He had put in to adopt her a month ago, and was now in the long, long, process of adopting her. 

His house had completely changed, it had once been modern and minimalist, a lot of black and white, and so incredibly tidy even david, mostly to his ex-wife’s style which had slowly became his style, over the years. When Emma moved in he realised that the minimalist girly room, Kathryn had put together for her, was not to her style - that had been the first explosion of colour. Nowadays he had about a million pictures hung up in frames or blu-tacked to the kitchen cupboards or on the fridge held in place by brightly coloured magnets. There were toys constantly around the place, when they hadn’t been left out they were in the toy boxes and still fairly obvious. 

He loved the sight of all of the toys around now, especially after a tough day at work, because they made him think of his foster daughter. 

But as he was sat on the hard wooden floor of his living room, screwing together the toy kitchen at just gone midnight, he couldn’t help but curse toys altogether.

 

There was a knock at the front door, so soft that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t gotten an alert on his cellphone, telling him there was a stranger at his door. 

He was happy for the intermission, and jumped to his feet, heading out of the living room and to his entrance way. He opened the heavy wooden door and a huge smile appeared on his face. “Mary! Hey, how are you? Is everything okay?”    
He had gotten to know Mary more since he and Kathryn split, Emma seemed to love her and insisted on talking to her any time they bumped into her, in the process they had sort of become friends.

Mary was distracted by the sight of David Nolan in his pyjamas, she mostly saw him in his smart work clothes, the most underdressed she had seen him was probably wearing plaid shirts. She blinked a few times. “I’m sorry it’s so late, I hope I didn’t wake you… It’s just my lights just blew, and I know how to fix it but I don’t suppose you have any fuse wire, do you?”

David stood aside, the door wide open, he gestured for her to come in. “There’s some in my desk, here come through.” 

Mary was struck by the sight of a whole lot of toys, some were set up in place, and others were hidden beneath 

“As you can probably tell, I wasn’t sleeping yet.” David chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, he headed past one of the bookcases to his desk, Mary watched him through the gaps. 

“I didn’t realise it was Emma’s birthday.” 

David came back around with the packet of fuse wire in his hand. There was an even bigger smile on his face. “Yeah, it’s going to be her first proper birthday, she’s been excited for about a week about turning four.” He chuckled again. “I’ve been putting all of these together and wrapping about a hundred toys up for the past few hours.” 

“You look like you’re winning.” She congratulated and was rewarded with a big smile from the man. 

“The kitchen nearly defeated me.” He hefted a tired and slightly overworked sigh. “All I need to do is cover this monstrosity,” he placed his hand on the toy kitchen, “in its stickers, put together her little desk, then wrap up all the little bits.” 

Mary hesitated before speaking up, she didn’t want to intrude, or to overstep the bounds of neighbourly acquaintanceship. “I could do the stickers while you put together her desk? And if you have an extra pair of scissors I’m good at wrapping presents. Consider it payment for the fuse wire.” 

“Are you sure, I wouldn’t want to take away your evening-“ 

“-I’ve already finished my marking, this is honestly no problem.” She smiled so warmly at him that he was forced to agreed.

 

* * *

 

 

The two spent the next couple of hours finishing sorting out the presents and putting them in position in the living room. The two passed the time talking, joking, and laughing. Mary heard just how much he loved Emma, that Emma didn’t yet know that he was applying to adopt her as it was too early, and Mary promised and insisted that she would drop a card around the next day. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


David was woken by being jumped on. He let out a grunt and puff of air as his eyes shot open, but there was a big smile on his face when he saw his foster daughter, in her Halloween themed pyjamas. “Good morning, pumpkin.” 

“David! It’s my birthday!” 

“Really?!” He pretended to be surprised. “How old are you, sixty-seven?” 

Emma giggled. “Nope, I’m just four.” She led against him as she gave him a big hug. 

David kissed her cheek and cuddled her close as he sat up. “Wow, that means you’re such a big girl now.” Emma smiled at him as though he had hung the stars and it meant more to him than he had ever thought was possible. He cuddled her close for a little while and she didn’t mind at all. “Okay I need a coffee, and we’ll get you some juice,” he knew that if he didn’t assume she would need it she would never tell him, “and then a surprise.” 

“A good surprised?” 

“A very good surprise.” 

He made sure she had a drink, and went the potty, and that he was slightly more awake thanks to his coffee, before he made crouched down in front of her. “Y’know what the best part about birthdays?” 

“Cake?”

“We’ll have cake later, when my mom and brother and Jamie’s family are here, and we’re having your little party.” He brushed a curl behind her ear. “Nope, the best part is cards and presents…. I think I might have got you some…”

“Really?!” She started to jump up and down. 

“Yup.” He grabbed the card he had left on the kitchen counter for her the night before. “Here we go, cards first, buddy.” 

Emma tore it open and passed the card to David to read, which he did, then she had a massive number 4 pin badge pinned to her pyjamas shirt. She threw her arms around him. “Thank you Davey.” 

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s no problem, princess, now come on present time.” 

He led her to the living room and she immediately ran over to the toy kitchen as he placed the card on the mantle. He watched as she ran into the walk-in toy kitchen opening all the cupboards and the fridge and oven looking at some of the toy food which was inside. 

“Is this mine?”

“I think it’s a little small for me, don’t you?” He laughed. He knelt onto the ground next to her. “It’s all for you, all of them, to keep forever.” He gently took her hand and led her towards his desk. At the end of it was a child’s one where she could sit and do her colouring in, there was also a whiteboard as part of it which she could hang paper on to paint, and on the other side was a chalkboard, he had hung up an apron. He passed her the wrapped presents he had left on it. 

“Woah, just like yours!” 

David grinned, watching her unwrap the art supplies and threw the wrapping paper wherever, he loved how carefree she was now. “Yep, now when I’m doing my work you can work on your art at the same time.” 

Her eyes lit up. “Thank you Daddy!” She hugged him tight before becoming distracted again. 

She didn’t seem to notice what she had called him, but he did, his eyes brimmed with tears and he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that she wasn’t really allowed to call him that, he just hoped that the adoption process would go a bit quicker and she could finally be told and be asked if she wanted him to be.

 

She played for a little while testing some of her new chalks be pens. “Can I open them ones?” She pointed through the bookcase towards the other presents. 

“Of course you can!” He grinned following her as she opened the rest of the presents. She had woken early enough that she could play with them before they had to get ready for their days- him to work and her to childcare. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“ ** _Happy birthday dear Emma, happy birthday to you!_** ” 

All of the Nolans sang in from the birthday cake as Emma grinned. 

Ruth snapped a few pictures of David leant down so he was on eye level with Emma in front of the cake. And James, his wife, and their kids cheered.  

“Blow out those candles, Princess, and make a wish.” 

Emma did as David told her to. 

  
  


_There was a knock at the door._

 

James went to answer it. 

“Hey, I brought Emma’s card, and I hope you don’t mind but I couldn’t-... wait, you’re not David…” 

James laughed. He held out his hand then withdrew it when he realised that she wouldn’t be able to shake it. “James, I’m David’s twin, don’t worry you’re not the only one to confuse us. I’m the better looking one.” He assessed her briefly. This lady seemed disappointed when she realised he wasn’t David, also not the first, but she could be exactly what his wound up brother needed, Emma had helped some but he could do with something different. “Here, come in,” he stood aside, “Emma, _and_ _David,_ will be made up to see you.” 

As James had expected his brother’s face lit up seeing Mary, he smirked and went over to his own wife, kissing her. 

“Mary! I, er…. Hi!” David flustered. He was pushed aside as Emma ran to her. 

“Mary! I have cake and everyone got me lots and lots of presents, and we have party food!” Emma chattered excitedly not even noticing the present in her hands. “Do you want some? We have lots of pizza and it’s still hot, and there’s cake, I just made a wish.” 

Mary smiled and crouched down. “Happy birthday Emma, I hear that you’re really big today!” 

“I’m four!” 

“Wow! Well, I have this present for you, and a card. If it’s okay with your Da-David, you can open it.” 

Emma looked to David and he smiled and nodded. “Yeah, Kiddo, remember to say thank you to Mary.” 

“Thank you Mary.” Emma hugged her before taking the present. 

“You really are welcome to stay, and we have enough food to feed an army.” David said warmly… and hopefully. “I, Em- We would all love for you to stay, if you don’t have a boyfriend- or something you have to-“ 

“-I’d love to stay.” Mary said too eagerly for it to be for his benefit. She was suddenly aware of how close they were stood to each other. She didn’t move. 

“A dolly! David look! It’s a  _ boy _ dolly!” 

“Well, I remembered you tell me you only had girl ones and that there weren’t any both ones in the store. I thought you’d like this one.” 

“I love him!” Emma threw her arms around Mary. 

Ruth came to join them in the foyer, like James she assessed Mary, and liked what she saw. She looked down at the toddler who she hoped would join her growing collection of grandchildren. “Emma, sweetheart, it’s time for us to have cake.” 

Emma carried her doll and took hold of Mary’s hand. “Mary you can sit with me.” 

Luckily Mary was more than happy to let the little girl drag her into the room which was full of family. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Soon it was just David and Ruth in the entrance. 

“She’s nice.” 

David groaned and threw his head back. “Mother.” He suddenly felt the need to warm Mary that his mother might start to quiz her about literally everything. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Emma’s next birthday was even better, she had the same amount of presents, but a bigger party with more friends and family, she went to the zoo again, and David sat up the night before putting together presents - but this time all those things included Mary, who Emma called mom, and David called his fiancé. 

  
  



End file.
